Stonington Public Library

The Great Down-Easter Egg Celebration
2025-04-19 07:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Island Community Center, 10 Memorial Ln, Stonington, ME, 04681
Come enjoy a Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser from 7am to 10am at the Island Community Center and stay to pick up an Easter bucket for each child. Families can then parade down Pink St. toward downtown with stops at area businesses and Stonington Public Library. End the morning at the Opera House for a free movie showing.

The Serviceberry - A Public Conversation
2025-04-16 18:00 - 19:30 | Stonington Public Library, 64 Main Street, Stonington, ME, 04681
We continue our public conversation series with a discussion of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s newest book, The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World,with the option to join in person or via Zoom. Co-hosted by SPL and Linda Nelson, Stonington economic and community development director. RSVP to email address below.

Story Time
2025-04-12 10:00 - 11:00 | ME
Monthly story time with hands-on activity. Fun for kids of all ages!
SPL hosts story time on the second Saturday of every month from 10-11am. Check our website or social media (@stoningtonpublicllibrary) for details, because we often go offsite to various island locations for story time.

Read with Tenny – a Pre-K program
2025-04-08 11:00 - 11:30, 2025-03-11 11:00 - 11:30, 2025-02-11 11:00 - 11:30 | Stonington Public Library, 64 Main Street, Stonington, ME, 04681
Visit and read with certified therapy dog, Tenny, on the second Tuesday of every month at 11am. His person, Jessica Shively, will bring him by SPL to meet some of our youngest patrons and their families. It’s a chance for kids to learn new ways of interacting with a dog and with each other in a (loosely) structured activity. Tenny is a 3 year old, 105 pound Great Pyrenees mix who grew up on the Maine coast. He loves love and sharing it with other people. His human, Jessica, moved to Stonington from Castine in the summer and spends her days beachcombing with Tenny and exploring new hiking trails.

Build Your Own Board Game!
2025-03-29 12:00 - 14:00, 2025-03-15 12:00 - 14:00, 2025-03-01 12:00 - 14:00, 2025-02-15 12:00 - 14:00 | Stonington Public Library, 64 Main Street, Stonington, ME, 04681
Do you have a knack for design, math, art, or Dungeons & Dragons? Then join Jordan in making your very own board game this winter. By the end of the workshop, you will have a game that you can take home and force your friends and family to play! All ages.
The workshop will meet on Saturday, February 15th and March 1st, 15th, and 29th from 12-2pm. It will be offered in person at SPL.
Jordan Ramsey is an active member of the board game community of Deer Isle. He volunteers at the Deer Isle-Stonington After School Program and leads board game afternoons at the Island Community Center on Sunday afternoons. He has also created a handful of his own games that he and his friends playtest once a month.

Music with Abby – a Pre-K program
2025-03-25 11:00 - 11:30, 2025-02-25 11:00 - 11:30 | Stonington Public Library, 64 Main Street, Stonington, ME, 04681
Let’s get musical! Explore rhythm and music with island singer, songwriter, and musician Abby Litman on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 11am. Kids won’t be hushed for making noise in the library. In fact, they’ll be encouraged.

Reader's Choice: Enormous Changes at the Last Minute
2025-03-24 18:30 - 19:30 | Stonington Public Library, 64 Main Street, Stonington, ME, 04681
Reader’s Choice: Anneli Sundqvist
Enormous Changes at the Last Minute by Grace Paley
MaineCat catalog record (SPL copy on order)
“In this collection of short stories, originally published in 1974, Grace Paley ‘makes the novel as a form seem virtually redundant’ (Angela Carter, London Review of Books). Her stories here capture ‘the itch of the city, love between parents and children’ and ‘the cutting edge of combat’ (Lis Harris, The New York Times Book Review). In this collection of seventeen stories, she creates a ‘solid and vital fictional world, cross-referenced and dense with life’ (Walter Clemons, Newsweek).” – From publisher website
About Anneli
Hometown: I grew up in the north of Sweden.
Current residence: I moved to Deer Isle in 2008, after many years of traveling the world, and have lived here full time since then.
Why do you read? I love to read historical fiction, as it’s always been the only way for me to comprehend that subject. In general I favor books that offers a glimpse into other peoples realities, whichever genre it happens to be.
Currently reading: As has been the case for a while now, I’m reading whatever’s on the book club’s roster, and that’s all I can keep up with, and some odd New Yorker articles.
Why did you choose Enormous Changes at the Last Minute? I was choosing between different short story collections and this came to me sight unseen from a friend in the book publishing industry. I watched a YouTube with Paley reading one of the stories and was immediately infatuated!

Rosswords: Crosswords with Chris
2025-03-23 11:00 - 12:00, 2025-03-09 11:00 - 12:00, 2025-02-23 11:00 - 12:00 | Stonington Public Library, 64 Main Street, Stonington, ME, 04681
Grab your pencils and sharpen your minds. The key to becoming a better solver is not knowing lots of trivia BUT in training your mind to stay flexible when solving. Don’t get boxed in, think outside the box! Ideally for solvers ages 14 & up.
The workshop will meet on Sunday, February 23rd and March 9th and 23rd from 11am-1pm. It will be offered in person at SPL.
Chris Ross is obsessed with word games. Yes, he solves Wordle and Connections and Spelling Bee every day, and he’s completed the New York Times crossword for 2,531 consecutive days and counting. He loves the challenge of puzzles that bend his brain and lives for the AHA! moment when everything falls into place.

Hand-Braided Rag Rug Workshop
2025-03-22 12:00 - 14:00 | Stonington Public Library, 64 Main Street, Stonington, ME, 04681
Taught by Shannon Lindsay & Mary Ann O’Rourke
Learn how to repurpose your old shirts and save them from a landfill. We’ve got plenty of material to get participants started. Bring fabric scissors if you have some. RSVP to the email below.
Rugs pictured above were made by Shannon Lindsay and are on display at SPL through April 26th in the 4th annual Island Artist Group Exhibit. Mary Ann O’Rourke is exhibiting a tapestry woven on a loom and decorated with felted mythological sea creatures. She also has a papier mâché mermaid on display and handmade cotton potholders on sale at SPL.

Rosswords: Crosswords with Chris
2025-03-16 11:00 - 12:00 | Stonington Public Library, 64 Main Street, Stonington, ME, 04681
Grab your pencils and sharpen your minds. The key to becoming a better solver is not knowing lots of trivia BUT in training your mind to stay flexible when solving. Don’t get boxed in, think outside the box! Ideally for solvers ages 14 & up.
Chris Ross is obsessed with word games. Yes, he solves Wordle and Connections and Spelling Bee every day, and he’s completed the New York Times crossword for 2,531 consecutive days and counting. He loves the challenge of puzzles that bend his brain and lives for the AHA! moment when everything falls into place.

Edible Island: Irish Soda Bread
2025-03-08 13:00 - 16:00 | Healthy Island Project Kitchen, 91 S Burnt Cove Rd, Stonington, ME
Edible Island is back with another workshop, and just in time for St. Patrick’s Day! Learn how to make Irish soda bread with Lorraine Coakley. RSVP by contact information below.

Story Time with Stonington Fire Department
2025-03-08 10:00 - 11:00 | Stonington Public Library, 64 Main Street, Stonington, ME, 04681
SPL story time returns to Stonington Fire Department! The fire department crew will come to the library to read aloud to kids and their families, and following the story, they’ll invite everyone over to the fire department for a guided tour and look behind the scenes. All welcome, no registration required.

What If We Get It Right? Public Conversation Series
2025-03-05 18:00 - 19:30, 2025-02-19 18:00 - 19:30, 2025-02-05 18:00 - 19:30, 2025-01-22 18:00 - 19:30 | Stonington Public Library, 64 Main Street, Stonington, ME, 04681
A four-part public conversation series on Visions of Climate Futures based around the book of the same name by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. Participants are welcome to join in person at SPL or by Zoom. The conversation dates are Wednesday, January 22nd, February 5th and 19th, and March 5th from 6-7:30pm. Reach out to SPL at the contact information below to sign up.

Rosswords: Crosswords with Chris
2025-03-02 11:00 - 12:00 | Stonington Public Library, 64 Main Street, Stonington, ME, 04681
Grab your pencils and sharpen your minds. The key to becoming a better solver is not knowing lots of trivia BUT in training your mind to stay flexible when solving. Don’t get boxed in, think outside the box! Ideally for solvers ages 14 & up.
The workshop will meet on Sunday, February 16th and 23rd and March 9th and 23rd from 11am-1pm. It will be offered in person at SPL.
Chris Ross is obsessed with word games. Yes, he solves Wordle and Connections and Spelling Bee every day, and he’s completed the New York Times crossword for 2,531 consecutive days and counting. He loves the challenge of puzzles that bend his brain and lives for the AHA! moment when everything falls into place.

Reader's Choice: The Island of Sea Women
2025-02-24 18:30 - 19:30 | Stonington Public Library, 64 Main Street, Stonington, ME, 04681
Reader’s Choice: Kendra Chubbuck
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
MILS catalog record
“Set on the Korean island of Jeju, The Island of Sea Women follows Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls from very different backgrounds, as they begin working in the sea with their villages’s all-female diving collective. Over many decades—through the Japanese colonialism of the 1930s and 1940s, World War II, the Korean War, and the era of cellphones and wet suits for the women divers—Mi-ja and Young-sook develop the closest of bonds. After hundreds of dives and years of friendship, forces outside their control will push their relationship to the breaking point.” – From cover jacket
About Kendra
Hometown: Bath, Maine.
Current residence: Isle au Haut.
Connection to the island: My connection dates back five generations on my mother’s side to the late 1790s. I live on Isle au Haut year-round—all 12 months.
Why do you read? My mother was an avid reader, and she taught us to love books at a young age. So I would say I’m a lifelong learner from reading various genres of books. I read for information, escape, relaxation, knowledge, understanding of certain subjects, and to escape from life sometimes.
What genre do you hate to read? I will not read horror. I don’t like the feeling of being petrified and being shocked or scared. I have nightmares and bad dreams.
Last book you LOVED: The Convenant of Water and Cutting for Stone. Both are by Abraham Verghese.
Currently reading: Walking Sacred Sites: Listening to Their Stories by Maine author Margaret W. Jones.
Why did you choose The Island of Sea Women? I can’t swim, and I’m just not a water person. Yes, I live on an Island! It is a very scary read for me, and it isn’t one that I would have picked up on my own without it coming recommended. The women in this book are something else. They have amazing physical strength; they’re hardworking, resilient, and no-nonsense. In addition to their demanding job, they lived through historical upheavals and massive shifts in their daily lives: from WWII to the Korean War and from pigsty latrines and oil lamps to toilets and electricity. These women worked hard to support their families while the husbands took care of the kids and did very little else. Each female character is deeply flawed and was given lots of room to grow throughout this book, so I could think of these two women as real people upon which this book is based. It was fascinating to learn about their lives, but I don’t think I could have lived their shoes.

Island Artist Group Exhibit Reception
2025-02-22 14:00 - 16:00 | Stonington Public Library, 64 Main Street, Stonington, ME, 04681
Fox (oil) by Patrick Monaghan
Reception for the fourth annual island artist group exhibit at Stonington Public Library. Light bites and beverages will be served. Live music performed by island trio Rugosa Rose.
The exhibit runs from February 4 through April 26 and can be viewed during library hours.

Reader's Choice: How to Read a Book
2025-01-27 18:30 - 19:30 | Stonington Public Library, 64 Main Street, Stonington, ME, 04681
Reader’s Choice: Ellen Shockro
How to Read a Book by Monica Wood
MILS catalog record
“Violet Powell, a twenty-two-year-old from rural Abbott Falls, Maine, is being released from prison after serving twenty-two months for a drunk-driving crash that killed a local kindergarten teacher. Harriet Larson, a retired English teacher who runs the prison book club, is facing the unsettling prospect of an empty nest. Frank Daigle, a retired machinist, hasn’t yet come to grips with the complications of his marriage to the woman Violet killed. When the three encounter each other one morning in a bookstore in Portland, their lives drastically change course.” – From cover jacket
About Ellen
Hometown: I was born in Brooklyn, but from age 4 lived in Scarsdale, NY, where I also attended high school before leaving for college.
Current residence: I currently live in Newport Beach, California.
Connection to the island: My island connection was through Peggy McIntosh, who owns the iconic small yellow house on Indian Point Road. I met her in 1981. Her parents found the house when sailing by, and they came up the hill to knock on the door—sometime in the late 1950s I believe. I visited and stayed there probably half a dozen times before buying our own home in 2001. I come in mid-May, and sometimes have a few trips in between, but I leave sometime in late September or early October.
Why do you read? Reading is a large part of my life. I do not watch much television. When I find an author I like, I tend to read all of their books. I read both fiction and nonfiction. In an average summer, I read 40-50 books.
What genre do you hate to read? I don’t like rambling and overly detailed books. I really dislike poor writing. I do not like so-called “romance” novels nor do I like fantasy, with a few exceptions.
Last book you LOVED: I LOVED Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. I had never read anything about gaming, plus I was taken up by the relationships among the three main characters. I also LOVED Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See. I’ve read each of those through twice.
Currently reading: I usually read three books at once, depending upon my mood. So I am reading Fiona Hill’s book, There is Nothing for You Here, for one. I have just started James by Percival Everett. My third book currently is The Fraud by Zadie Smith. I’ve read all of her books, this one is so different.
Why did you choose How to Read a Book? I like Maine authors. Monica Wood, Lily King, and Christina Baker Klein are among my favorite Maine writers—there are others. I have read all of Monica Wood’s books. I went to her talk at the Chase Emerson in July 2024; I have watched two very long interviews or discussions with her online; and I find her extremely thoughtful. She also has a good sense of humor. I think the main characters in the book are well drawn and are each very interesting in themselves. I am fascinated by programs trying to help inmates. I wished that the book club itself was more of a focus in the book. My sister teaches at San Quentin, which is all men. I have visited there most years, although not during Covid. I reread this book, and it was even better the second time around.

Food & Fiction: Heartburn
2024-12-16 18:30 - 19:30 | Stonington Public Library, 64 Main Street, Stonington, ME, 04681
Our December title is Heartburn by Nora Ephron. The SPL book club meets the fourth Monday of every month, except December to accommodate holiday plans, at 6:30pm. Readers can choose to participate either in person at SPL or online via Zoom. Contact SPL at the phone or email below to RSVP and/or to join the book club email list.

A Scallop Christmas Story Time
2024-12-14 10:00 - 11:00 | Discovery Wharf, 13 Atlantic Avenue, Stonington, ME, 04681
Led by Carla Guenther at the Discovery Wharf. Come hear a read-aloud holiday story, learn about scallops, and paint a scallop shell. SPL hosts a monthly story time and activity for kids of all ages on the second Saturday of every month.
